PHILADELPHIA—Laura Wayne, 37, of Coatesville, Pennsylvania, was charged today by information with seven counts of wire fraud, announced United States Attorney Zane David Memeger. While employed as an administrator of employee retirement accounts at the Comcast Corporation, Wayne created dummy retirement accounts and used the accounts to defraud Comcast of approximately $124,876.

According to the information, Wayne created dummy accounts that appeared to be 401(k) retirement accounts managed by Fidelity Company for the benefit of Comcast employees; used the names of non-employees and their actual birthdates and social security numbers to create fraudulent employee 401(k) accounts; entered dollar amounts in the dummy accounts on the spreadsheets she sent to Fidelity so that Comcast would put money into the dummy employee accounts; and created fake on-line Fidelity accounts so that she could access the dummy employee accounts. It is further alleged that between April 2013 and January 2014, Wayne used the fake on-line accounts that she had created to direct that Fidelity transfer funds from the dummy accounts to bank accounts that she controlled.

If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 140 years of in prison, three years of supervised release, restitution, a $1.75 million fine, and a $700 special assessment.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Laurie Magid.